


Big Dig

by vianne78



Series: Nate [4]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Danse is a teensy bit jealous, Friendship/Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10882023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vianne78/pseuds/vianne78
Summary: Danse despises Bobbi No-Nose and especially Mel, but follows Nate anyway.Another snippet of their everyday lives.





	Big Dig

**Author's Note:**

> I swear they'll get there. Eventually.
> 
> (Doesn't work as a walk-through at all, but a little spoilery, if you haven't played the side quest Big Dig.)

“Are you really going to do this? You should always trust your instincts, and mine are screaming not to trust that woman,” Danse grumbled sullenly on their way to Diamond City.

Nate chuckled. “I wouldn’t trust Bobbi No-Nose with a sweetroll, but yeah. I’m going to do it anyway, because mayor McDonough has it coming, and I’m petty like that.”

To suddenly take on a job breaking and entering, _robbing_ someone’s warehouse, was not something Nate would ordinarily do, far from it. This had piqued his interest mainly because he really, really didn’t like the mayor of Diamond City. The man was a walking hate crime in a suit.

“You could always opt out, if you don’t want to be a part of this. I’d understand. I could meet you back at Sanctuary when this is over," Nate continued, trying to sound nonchalant.

Danse sighed.  
“You are anything but petty, and you know me better than that.” He still sounded sullen. “I will remain by your side, no matter what.” 

Nate glanced at him, smiling that smile he knew often flustered the former Paladin. Only this time Danse looked right back, golden brown eyes so serious it was Nate who completely lost his train of thought, nearly tripping on a pile of rubble. Somehow he felt like he had just been scolded. They continued their journey in silence.

***

When they got to Diamond City and met with Bobbi No-Nose to hear more details about the job, Danse didn’t comment when they found out that the new associate she had in mind was, in fact, in jail. 

He didn’t comment on Bobbi No-Nose’s plan to make Nate go and release the man from said jail, and he stayed quiet when Nate agreed.

He still didn’t comment when he witnessed Nate simply walk up to one of the guards and ask - very nicely, as was his way - to let the little man out.  
He certainly wasn’t surprised the guard immediately complied, saying it was time to let him go anyway, because Nate had that effect on people. Even Arthur Maxson had been powerless against it.

But Danse was on the brink of commenting (with his gun), when their new partner in crime took a shine on Nate, and not in a particularly shy way. 

They had made their way out of the city jail and were gathered on the outskirts of town, the night air carrying sounds and smells from the marketplace to their shadowy corner. Bobbi’s new recruit was called Mel. Danse was measuring the addition, purely with professional eyes, of course. _Small, insignificant. No doubt useless in dangerous situations. And the hair is the color of carrots. Carrots!_

Mel had just turned to Nate, sizing the Vault Dweller from head to toe, and Danse intensely disliked the sparkle he saw in the leprechaun’s eyes. He had a hard time keeping from stepping between the two.  
“Thanks for getting me out, I guess. So you’re Bobbi’s new toy?” 

Danse bristled, but Nate cocked a grin, not offended in the slightest by the small man’s insolent choice of words.  
“Yeah, this year’s hottest gift. Get one before they’re gone.”

“And what a gift you’d be,” Mel sighed, openly devouring Nate with his eyes. 

Nate was wearing his blue, skintight 111 jumpsuit again, and he admittedly did look like a goddamn gift in it. _Not to mention those damn leather straps of his armor, bringing out his muscles and ass and then there’s that face..._  
Danse shifted irritably, his X-01 hissing and alerting the small criminal. Mel took one look at him - the other hulk of a man with murder in his eyes and wearing a regular mountain of a power armor - and hastily changed the subject.  
“Honestly, that woman doesn’t have a patient bone in her body. I wasn’t serving life sentence, here…”

***

They were having a very long day underground.  
The digging itself wasn’t manual labor, Mel’s nifty robot took care of that, blasting effortlessly through softer sediments. There was, however, a fair amount of hostiles in the dig, ranging from softshells to somewhat more annoying mirelurk kings and downright lethal bloated, gangrenous glowing ghouls. Danse was busy securing each new chamber with Nate, but he wasn’t too busy to hear Mel discussing Nate with Bobbi.

“So what’s the deal with the new guy?” Lecherous interest was evident in Mel’s voice, and Danse frowned viciously, stepping on a couple of mirelurk hatchlings before they could jump at anyone. _What’s it to you, you little -_

“Oh, I got lucky with this one. Came right up to my door and took the job. He takes orders and he’s useful in a fight, and he brought a friend, too. What more could I want?” She sounded so damn smug. _You just try and doublecross Nate, and I swear -_

“And more than that, he’s not bad to look at, either… Not too sure about the friend, Bobbi, but maybe we don’t burn bridges this time, yeah?” 

Mel happened to look at Danse then, and clearly saw he’d been listening, saw how he clenched his teeth and turned to look at a feral that got too close, bashing its head to bits with a furious flick of his weapon. Mel moved hastily away from Bobbi, following Nate’s call for his friendly robot to open another tunnel. 

***

Later, Danse turned his back once - just once - to get rid of several ferals climbing up from an old drain to have a bite from the fresh meat buffet. That tiny window was all it took for Mel to slither to Nate again, to whisper urgently about something Danse couldn’t hear. Nate’s blue eyes had flicked straight to Danse, and the soldier saw a hint of alarm in them, because he knew Nate well enough to recognize it. It was just a hint, and very quickly masked with neutral indifference, but it was enough to set Danse on edge. Instantly, he was ready for a surprise, for an attack, for something unpleasant. 

Danse searched Nate’s face for a clue. Any clue. Just something.  
Mel was still talking, gaze flashing briefly at Danse before he finally stopped, touching Nate’s arm briefly and stepping away to his robot again. The vault dweller looked back at Danse, his eyes unusually remote and wary, and that did it. Danse was shaken to the core. What the hell had the dwarf been saying? Something about Danse? Was this an attack against him? An attempt to get between them? An attempt to steal his… steal Nate?

But then they had been through the final barrier, the final door, and there wasn't time to worry about Mel anymore. Just as Danse had suspected all along, Bobbi No-Nose had not been honest with them. They were in deep trouble, but with a completely different mayor they had been led to think.

***

Danse was quiet on the way back to Sanctuary. Wordlessly, he parked his X-01 as a barricade against the door of the small bunker they were going to crash in. They had often used that bunker on their travels before. Sanctuary wasn’t that far, but it was pitch black outside and they needed the rest. The small space was familiar, secure from all sides, and now that the heavy power armor was blocking the only entryway, they could both get some sleep. 

“Any regrets?” Nate had just carefully straightened his body on the mattress and let out a hissing breath. Danse was pretty sure he had taken some form of damage in the tunnels, but Nate’s quiet question interrupted his plan to make the Vault Dweller fess up so he could take care of it. 

Danse frowned. “About what, exactly?”  
It came out a bit more testily than he intended, and Nate looked unhappy.

“Well… Anything. Everything. About this whole thing with Bobbi. About coming with me. You’ve hardly said a word since yesterday.”  
Nate shifted restlessly, clearly uncomfortable, but because of potential injuries or just the conversation, Danse couldn’t tell.  
_I’ve never regretted a moment with you._

“Again, no.” _Too angry. Watch the tone._ Danse sighed.  
“I think we got incredibly lucky back there, but I don't regret staying with you. I never do. Frankly, it’s aggravating you don’t seem to believe me when I say as much.” Danse watched Nate wince and sit up again with some difficulty, and pointedly continued, raising his eyebrow, ”I have never lied to you. You, on the other hand, hide the truth all the time.”

At least Nate had the decency to blush, and after a brief hesitation he slowly began to peel his left side from the blue jumpsuit, finally managing to reveal nastily blackened ribs. Danse whistled, kneeling in front of the other man.

“That’s a winner, even from you.” He examined the damage, running his fingers carefully on the magnificent bruising. At least one broken rib, probably more. The touch was featherlight on the puffy skin, but it still made Nate huff out a sharp little breath, and Danse drew his hand away, reaching for their meds. 

***

They were lying on the mattresses, side by side, close to each other because the space was narrow and most of it was full of boxes and rubble. Nate’s ribs were no longer bothering him, and what damage remained, would be fixed while he was sleeping. 

Now, in the quiet safety of the bunker, Danse’s thoughts were a slowly swirling, black mess again.  
He couldn’t stop seeing the look he’d been given back in the dig. Danse hadn’t been prepared to be so affected by anything as he had been by Nate’s eyes, when Mel had been whispering in his ear.  
_Ask. Ask him, damnit._  
“There’s something I’d like to know,” Danse blurted the question out before he lost his resolve. “What did the… I mean, Mel was saying something to you before we entered the warehouse. It - what he said, it seemed to get to you, I mean... really _bother_ you, and you looked at _me_ when he said it. What did that… What did he say?”

Danse could hear Nate turn his head, could feel his penetrating gaze, but he didn’t dare look back. He stared at the flaking ceiling instead.

“ _That’s_ why you’ve been so quiet? I thought you were angry. With _me_ because, I don’t know, I took the job and it wasn’t exactly honorable? Something along those lines.”  
Nate let out a breath, a half-laugh, really. “He said he was sure we weren’t under Diamond City like we were supposed to. That we were nowhere near it actually. He said Bobbi surely had something else planned and we should be prepared, whatever it was. That’s what he said. He warned me, but I had no time to tell you before we were through and it was too late.” 

The silence that fell was thunderous.

“Oh,” Danse managed, after a significant pause.

“You’re surprised,” Nate said slowly. “What exactly did you think he said?”

Danse didn’t answer. He turned to face the wall in a vain attempt to hide the fact it was his turn to blush, violently. Even his ears felt hot.  


“Oh. Oh, I see. You thought he said something about you, didn’t you?”

_Yes._ Danse tried to say it, but the word stuck in his throat.

“You didn’t like him,” Nate continued, and was right. Again. Danse still couldn’t say anything. Not that he even knew what.

“Oh. You thought he was bad-mouthing you.” Nate sounded astonished. “Did you...did you feel _threatened_ by him?”

Well, that was a much neater way to say he had been jealous. There was no other word for it. He had been _burning_ with it. And now Danse felt like an absolute ass.

Nate shuffled, turning carefully on his side toward Danse, who kept quiet, still looking the other way. Nate’s voice was softer now, laced with medication and oncoming sleep.  
“You said you’d stay by my side. That goes both ways. You know me, Danse. You’d have to chase me away, and even then I’d come back.” He was yawning by the end of the sentence, the warmth in his words finally easing Danse’s restless mind.

When he dared to turn his head, Nate’s eyes were already closed. There were exhausted shadows under them.  
Danse silently watched him, listening to his breathing until he drifted to sleep, too. 

***

Nate was slowly rising to consciousness from his deep, dreamless rest.

First thing he felt was the air moving, lightly, softly - a breath, fanning his forehead.  
Someone was close enough to breathe against his skin, almost touching him but not. That someone was also very warm.  
Danse. Danse was right there in front of him, giving out body heat like a radiator.  
Nate did his best not to smile and stayed where he was, pretending to still be asleep, enjoying the warmth and the proximity.

Danse was already awake. He had woken up quite some time before Nate, and didn’t want to get up either, not yet.  
He carefully kept his breathing even and slow, just to enjoy this stolen moment for just a little while longer.

***


End file.
